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Hyundai Motor India has expanded the portfolio of its high-end compact car, the i20, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2008. The new i-Gen i20 (priced at Rs 4.73-Rs 7.67 lakh) is available in 12 variants now — seven petrol and five of diesel — and will compete in the Indian market with the likes of Skoda Fabia Diesel, Fiat Punto, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra, Renault Pulse and Maruti Swift Diesel.

The new line-up will be supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign touting ‘I live the uber life’. The campaign is based on the concept of life beyond the usual — something which everyone aspires to, but only a few can achieve. “Taking up from where its predecessor left, i-Gen i20 pushes the attitudinal edge further to enhance the aura of the car,” says Nalin Kapoor, group head, marketing, Hyundai Motor India.

Indeed, to use Kapoor’s words, “to enhance the aura of the car,” the i-Gen i20 has some first in class features such as rear parking camera with display in the cabin mirror, clean air-cluster ionizer for fresh air in the cabin, auto headlight control function (the lights turn on automatically when visibility drops) and rain sensing wipers, among others.

According to Kapoor, the i20 customer is the one “who starts a new trend and believes that the same cannot be followed by others.” ‘Inseparability’ is another important element of the communication where the uber-cool life becomes inseparable with the car. In fact, this was the key insight that its creative agency Innocean Worldwide has tried to develop in the new campaign.

The print and television commercials feature young, smart and aspiring Indian models representing the aspiration life that the car promises to usher in. Their personality traits portray them as people who dream big and spend lavishly on themselves. But above all, they are emotionally attached to their car. “One of the core elements of our campaign is to engage our target group with i-Gen i20 product attributes on ground as well as on the digital medium. We have an ongoing online contest called ‘I live the uber-life contest’ where visitors can upload their uber-moments. The best pictures are rewarded. The engagement activity provides them the opportunity to share moments which are unique expressions of their personality,” adds Kapoor.

According to the company sources, in the last six months the i20 has sold approximately 2 lakh units, growing at almost 20 per cent during this time. In 2011, Hyundai sold 3,73,717 units in the domestic market and 2,42,330 units in the export market, the total being 6,16,039 cars. The launch and campaign of i-Gen i20 is aimed at increasing Hyundai’s share in its segment.